A Cruel Twist
by AtemsDestinee
Summary: It all started as a normal day for Joey Wheeler, until a certain multi- millionaire got him into a horrible punishment at school. What are Kaiba's intentions-and are they even his? And why does a strange voice keep whispering in Joey's ear? YAOI- kind of
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone. This is my first attempt at a fanfic, and this story is dedicated to my friend, Kitty-Guardian_Dorothy. One of her characters is featured in here, and the story wouldn't be possible without her good graces. Now this is a yaoi fanfic, but I just want to let everyone know it's my first and last attempt at one. I hope you enjoy it and review if you'd like, but I do not demand it. Remember, this story is mine, but the ideas and characters are NOT.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh. Yu-Gi-Oh is owned by Kazuki Takahashi.**

**A Cruel Twist**

_**Prologue- And So It Begins…**_

"RISE AND SHINE," shouted a man in his son's quiet bedroom.

"Auughh… five more minutes, Dad," grumbled Joey Wheeler as he covered his face with his pillow, wishing the comforting darkness to come back.

"No way. You're not going to be later for school again," his father said. "Now get up and take a shower."

Joey stole a glance at the digital clock on the nightstand next to his bed. "Dang it, Dad! It's not even seven yet! School doesn't start 'til eight."

"Hence the words: 'You're not going to be late for school again.' Now get your lazy butt out of that bed, or will I need to drag you out again?"

"Fine. I'm up, I'm up," Joey yawned as he swung his feet to the ground. He extended his arm above his head and stretched, trying to work the sleep cricks out of his back. Getting off the bed, Joey made his way across his room to the closet, stumbling over clothes, shoes, and trading cards littered about the floor.

"OUCH!" Joey yelped as the big toe on his right foot made contact with a sharp obstacle in his path. Failing to turn on the light, Joey got down on all fours to try and locate the object in the dark. He moved his hand around on the floor, finally landing on his target. Rising to his feet, Joey realized it was his duel disk.

Joey smiled, recalling everything he went through with his faithful gadget: dueling Roba, a strange kid claiming to have ESP, who just wanted to take care of his brothers; battling Mako the Fisherman and earning his last two locator cards needed to enter the Battle City Finals; being forced to duel against his very best friend Yugi while under the control of Marik; outwitting the Big Five, who wanted revenge against Kaiba and bodies to return to the real world. All the way up to his duel with Yami Marik, the duel disk pulled through for him to the very end.

'_Well, all that craziness is behind me, Yugi's the King of Games, and life can finally get back to normal.' _Joey sighed and placed his duel disk gently on the small table near his closet. '_Well, enough daydreaming. I gotta get in the shower before I'm late for school again and Pop blows a fuse.'_

* * *

"AWW MAN! I can't be late… I can't be late…" chanted Joey as he rushed to his classroom before the bell rang.

His morning went all wrong. First, he had to take a cold shower because his father was cruel and used up all the hot water. "Sorry, son. You snooze, you lose," his dad chuckled before leaving for work. Then, Joey realized that his school clothes weren't dry because he didn't unload the washing machine the night before. '_Man I gotta cut down on the video games,_' Joey thought to himself as he impatiently waited for his clothes. Finally getting out of the house, Joey rushed to catch the school bus before it pulled off- he didn't make it. '_There goes my lunch money,_' thought Joey as he waited for the city bus.

"Move, feet, MOVE!" Joey shouted as he rushed to his first class.

"Just a few more feet…"

_RRRRIIIINNNGGGG!!!_

"NOOOO!" Joey yelled, rushing through the door as the bell fell to a hush.

"You're late Mr. Wheeler… again," said Joey's teacher, a slight grimace on her pretty face.

"I'm sorry, Miss. Please forgive me." Joey clasped his hands and bowed, hoping that she wouldn't punish him.

"What am I going to do with you, Joey?" She sighed and turned back to the problem she was writing on the board.

'_Please don't punish me… please don't punish me… please-_'

"As punishment…"- '_Dang it_'- "I want you to come work this math problem I put on the board. Seeing as you were late, I'm pretty sure it was because you were studying. Now let's see how much your hard studying has paid off." Joey reluctantly walked to the board. The class snickered, some giggles escaping.

'_Great… looks like it's going to be a LONG day.'_

* * *

**_A/N: Please do not be discouraged by the opening of this story. Most of my stories will start off slow, but pick up as the story progresses. A lot of things happen in the first chapter, so if you continue reading, I'm pretty sure you will be pleased. Thank you and HAPPY READING!_**


	2. Chapter 1

**A Cruel Twist**

_Chapter 1: What a Bad Day_

_RRRRIIIINNNGGGG!!!_

"Finally! Recess- 30 minutes of doing absolutely nothing!"

"You're just happy that your 15 seconds of shame are over," snickered Tristan Taylor.

"Shut up, Tristan, before I make you," threatened Joey.

"Calm down, boys," Téa Gardner pleaded. "Apologize, Tristan."

"I'm sorry," he grumbled.

"You better be! You're gonna kick a guy when he's-"

"You, too, Joey," Téa interrupted.

"What for?! I'm the one whose been having a bad day!"

"That doesn't give you the right to blow up at us. So stop with the excuses and apologize."

"But-," Téa glared at him, "Fine. I'm sorry, Tristan."

"Good. Now we're all friends again." Téa settled back in her chair, pleased at her work.

"Now that we're all friendly again, what do you guys wanna do?" Yugi Motou asked, who stayed silent through the short-lived argument.

"I don't know about you guys," Téa said, "but I'm going to study these math notes from last class. Mrs. Masako has been hinting at a pop quiz all morning."

Tristan groaned. "Pop quiz or not, I don't study at school. That's meant for home."

"Well since Téa's studying, what should we do?" Yugi asked.

"I know!" Joey grinned and turned to Yugi. "I gotta see those God cards again." "Yea, Yug," Tristan added, "let's have a look at 'em." The boys glared at Yugi expectantly.

"Well…" Yugi stuttered.

"PLEASE??!!"

Yugi laughed. "OK guys, you win." Yugi grabbed his deck of cards hanging on the belt he had around his waist. Shuffling through his deck for awhile, he finally pulled out three cards. Catching a few stray rays of sunlight, the cards began to glimmer brilliantly.

"Whoaaa…" said Tristan and Joey simultaneously. "Can I hold them, Yug?" Joey pleaded. "Sure, why not?" Yugi agreed.

Taking the cards, Joey stared into the faces of the most powerful monsters in Duel Monsters: Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Wow, Yugi. These cards really are powerful. I feel like a better duelist already," said Joey, turning his attention from the cards back to his friend.

"Yea…" replied Yugi, taking a long breath and ending with a sigh.

"Yug, what's wrong?" asked Joey, puzzled.

"Nothing. It's just that now that I have these cards, we're just one step closer to unlocking the secrets of the pharaoh's ancient past… and I'm unsure of what we'll find." Absentmindedly, Yugi's hand raised up and cupped the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck.

"Oh…yea…" replied Joey, returning the cards back to Yugi. At the mention of the Pharaoh, the atmosphere went from light and playful to thoughtful and solemn. Even Téa, focused solely on her notes, tensed up at the mention of the Pharaoh.

'_Poor Yugi,_' thought Joey. '_Here I am complaining about my everyday problems, when Yugi has a huge problem that could determine the fate of the whole world. Compared to his, my problems are positively miniscule._'

The gang's silent reverie was abruptly interrupted by the loud entrance of a student. The boy was yelling into his cell phone, sounding angry about a mishap in his company. He slammed the suitcase he was carrying down on his seat.

"What do you mean my newest duel disks are faulty?" Seto Kaiba roared. "They are supposed to be released to the public in a few weeks, and you want to delay its release all because of some kinks that _require more attention_?! Just a week ago you were absolutely sure they were ready to go on the market! Don't tell me that all you've been doing is laying around doing nothing while my money is wasted!" Kaiba, now boiling mad, began to show red tints on his face.

A muffled voice came through the phone, trying to calm him down, but with another outburst, Kaiba yelled, "I don't CARE about what you want. This is MY company, and those duel disks WILL be released. Now I'd advise you to find these so-called _kinks_ and fix them before their release date." Angrily, Kaiba snapped his cell phone shut.

"Um… Kaiba? Is everything alright?" Yugi asked, timidly.

Kaiba shot Yugi a cold stare, but before he could answer, the bell rang. Everyone who left the class rushed into the room, hoping not to be late.

"OK, class," said Mrs. Masako, closing the door behind her. "I hope you all took some time to review your notes from last class, because now we're going to have a little pop-"

Mrs. Masako stopped when her eyes landed on Kaiba. "Mr. Kaiba, you do know that you're almost five hours late."

Kaiba smirked. "Mrs. Masako, I have a multi- million dollar company to run, and the only reason I even come to school is because I have to. So yes, Mrs. Masako, I do realize I'm almost five hours late."

Mrs. Masako simply stared at him, her eyes wide with shock.

'_Who the heck does Kaiba think he is?_' though Joey, enraged. '_He shouldn't disrespect Mrs. Masako, whether he has a multi- million dollar company or not._'

"Yo, Kaiba! I think you owe Mrs. Masako an apology." Heads swerved in Joey's direction, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"Wow, mutt. I'm surprised you can even form thoughts in that small, incoherent mind of yours," Kaiba retorted. The heads turned to look back at Kaiba, and the class began to buzz, sensing a fight was about to break out.

'_What the heck is up with this jerk? And why does he always refer to me as a mutt?_' "Well at least my _small, incoherent mind _knows how to respect adults. And quit calling me mutt!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I meant to say _you whimpering dog_!"

"That's it, Kaiba! I've put up with your CRAP for long enough!"

"WAIT, JOEY!" cried his three friends in unison, but it was too late. Joey lunged at Kaiba, his right arm pulled back, balled into a tight fist. He pulled his arm forward and made contact with Kaiba's jaw.

"FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT…" the class screamed, moving around to make room for Joey and Kaiba.

"Joey! Seto! Stop this foolishness immediately!" cried Mrs. Masako, but the boys weren't listening. Kaiba recovered from the sudden blow and charged Joey, his fist connecting with Joey's chest. Having the air knocked out of him, Joey started wheezing, but Kaiba punched again, this time on the side of his face. Trying to buy some time to recover, Joey ran head first into Kaiba. Kaiba fell back hard against a nearby desk.

'_Dang it, I'm going to be feeling this tomorrow for sure. Maybe I shouldn't have started this,_' thought Joey, suddenly feeling remorseful.

'_Yeah right. Don't lie to yourself, Joey,_' said a melodious voice, followed by a tinkling laugh. '_Who said that?_' Joey demanded. The mysterious giggle started again, apparently finding what he said funny. '_Come now, Joey,_' said the unfamiliar voice again, '_don't lie to yourself. You know that secretly you'd do anything to have Kaiba put his hands on you._'

"WHAT?!" Joey screamed. The class fell silent as Joey turned to stare at them. "Who said that? Answer me NOW!"

"What are you talking about, Joey?" Téa asked.

"JOEY! Look out, man!" yelled Tristan, but his attempt was futile. Kaiba had recovered and tackled Joey from behind, both of them now struggling on the floor. Rolling out of control, they knocked over desks, chairs, basically anything that got in their way.

'_Somebody get this heavy brute off me,_' thought Joey as he tried to keep Kaiba away from him. '_Why do you keep complaining, Joey? You just need to accept the truth and give yourself to the one you're destined to be with,_' the strange, melodious voice whispered in Joey's ear.

'_No, no, no! What are you talking about?_' Joey suddenly felt Kaiba being lifted off of him, and two hands grabbed him from behind and pulled him to his feet. Finally having his wits about him again, Joey realized the school security broke up their fight. '_Mrs. Masako must have sent for them… dang! I'm going to be in so much trouble when Dad finds out about this._'

"You two must think you're some tough guys, huh?" said the security guard holding Kaiba. "Well let's just see how tough you are at the Dean's office."

'_The Dean's office? Now I'm really screwed, and it's all because of that snobby little rich boy._'

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Masako. Get back to your teaching. We'll make sure these two are dealt with for wasting class time." The security guards began escorting them out of the room.

"OK, class, settle down," said Mrs. Masako, taking charge again. "You've had your little excitement for the day. Now help me straighten this room back up so class can get started again." Some of the students groaned but did as they were told- all except three. They were too busy looking at their friend getting escorted away by security, horrified and confused looks plastered on each of their faces.

Joey took one last look back into the class towards his friends, pleading that they'd forgive him. "Quit loitering," said the security guard holding Joey. "You're in enough trouble as it is." But Joey didn't care. He continued to silently plead with his friends until the security guard closed the door to Mrs. Masako's classroom.

'_Man, what a bad day today was. It seriously couldn't get any worse,_' Joey sadly thought as he was taken to meet with the Dean.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi everyone. Here's the second chapter. Updating may slow down this week, due to school stuff (greeeeeeeeeeeat), but I promised you on my profile that the latest would be a week. So if i dont update quickly, know that my deadline is one week from today.**

**btw... i kinda paraphrased a lisa simpson quote from one of the newest eps of "The Simpsons", so if you find it, let me know and help others find it (optional). Anyways, ENJOY!**

* * *

**A Cruel Twist**

_**Chapter 2: From Bad to Worse **_

"Disrupting productive class time; ignoring your teacher's orders; disorderly conduct in the classroom; starting a fight in the classroom, and destruction of school property. Do you two have anything to say for yourselves?"

For the past hour, Dean Hikano ranted and yelled at Joey and Kaiba, outraged by the actions of two of his students. "Seto, Joey? That wasn't a rhetorical question, so I expect an answer."

"All I'm guilty of, _Mr. Dean_, is being a little late to Mrs. Masako's class due to some problems involving my company," Kaiba retorted.

"_A little late?! _Why not try _five hours!! _And I wouldn't have started anything if you hadn't disrespected Mrs. Masako and then disrespected ME by calling me a mutt!" Joey replied, angrily.

"Did I hurt the little mutt's feelings?" said Kaiba with a smirk. "Too bad, because I call it as I see it, and I see you as a mutt!"

"Oh yeah, you stupid jerk! I'll show you your mu-"

"ENOUGH! Calm down and stop this stupid charade immediately!" interrupted Dean Hikano. "I've heard enough of your idiotic dispute, and I believe some sort of punishment is in order." Dean Hikano got up from the chair he was sitting in and walked around his long, oak desk. With a steady gait, he made his way to the window on the right wall of the room. For several moments he just stared out the window, contemplating a punishment that would not only embarrass them, but knock Seto Kaiba off his high horse.

'_What have I gotten myself into? Why couldn't I just ignore Kaiba like I normally do? Dang it, Dad's gonna kill me._' Getting restless, Joey stole a glance at Kaiba. Seeming unfazed by the Dean's rant, Kaiba glanced at his watch and gripped his cell phone, waiting for the latest news on the duel disks. Becoming irritated, he glanced at the Dean, a grimace forming on his handsome face. Then, as if feeling Joey's eyes on him, Kaiba turned his gaze toward him. Instead of dropping his gaze, Joey stared back at Kaiba, and they just glared at each other for several moments. Suddenly, Kaiba's face went from having an irritated grimace to a slick grin, an evil tint in his eyes. Becoming uncomfortable, Joey turned away from Kaiba. '_What's up with Kaiba? Where did that grin come from? And what exactly is that rich boy thinking 'bout?_'

"After careful consideration, I've decided your punishment." Dean Hikano left the window and returned to his desk. Sitting on the edge, he looked at the two students in front of him. "As for right now, you may return to class- on the condition that you don't start fighting again. But once class is over, I expect both of you to return to my office within ten minutes after the final bell, or I will be forced to send Security after you. From here you will be escorted to an off-campus site to perform 4 hours of community service of MY choice."

"WHAT?!" Kaiba exploded. "I have a company to run, so I don't have any time to perform community service!"

Dean Hikano stared at Kaiba, slightly amused by what he achieved.

Embarrass Seto Kaiba: '_Mission Accomplished_'

"Well you should have thought about that before breaking an important school rule that clearly reads NO FIGHTING. Now pipe down, Mr. Kaiba, before I extend your four hours to eight." With an irritated grunt, Kaiba slid back in his chair, arms folded over his chest.

"As I was saying, you two will perform your four hours of community service. If you are able to do this, I'll just let you two off with a warning. However, if you don't…" Dean Hikano paused, as if for dramatic effect, "I will pull this little agreement of ours and give you the maximum punishment for fighting. And if you had read the school's guidelines as asked of you at the beginning of this year, you should know what that is, so I won't waste my time explaining it." Dean Hikano got off the desk and returned to his chair. "You may return to class, but remember, ten minutes once that final bell rings."

"Yes, sir," Joey and Kaiba said before leaving his office.

"Thanks a lot, mutt," Kaiba said to Joey as they walked back to class. "I was due back at the office after school, and then you go and get all sensitive over something I said."

'_Just ignore him,_' Joey tried to tell himself. '_But I can't… I gotta find out what he was grinning about. When Kaiba smiles, nothing good can come from it._'

"Yo Kaiba, I don't really care about all that. What I'm trying to figure out is what was so funny that had you grinning like a maniac back at the Dean's."

As if wanting Joey's full attention, Kaiba came to a sudden halt in the corridor. Confused, Joey looked back at Kaiba. But when he saw Kaiba's face, he wished he never said a word. Kaiba was looking at Joey- but not _AT_ him; more like through him. His eyes looked so cold, so lifeless… so evil. And that same evil grin was on his face, yet somehow more sinister than it was at the Dean's office.

Uncomfortable again, Joey cleared his throat. "Well, rich boy? Are you just gonna stand there all day or are you going to give me an answer?"

With an evil laugh, Kaiba simply replied, "Within good time, you filthy mutt, you'll get what's coming to you. It's about time you learned your place." And like that the grin was gone. Kaiba walked past Joey and headed to Mrs. Masako's class, acting as if the strange conversation never took place.

'_Oh no…_' Joey thought as he fretted over what Kaiba could've meant by his 'learning your place' speech. '_I normally say this a lot, but I _really _have a bad feeling about this._' With a heavy sigh, he dropped his head and finished his trek to Mrs. Masako's classroom, unsure of what awaited him.

* * *

"What the heck were you thinking, man?" Tristan exclaimed when Mrs. Masako left the room.

"Whatever, man. It's bad enough I gotta spend four more hours with that jerk. And on top of that, I gotta tell my dad why I'm getting home so late. I wouldn't even be surprised if he already knew."

"It's okay, Joey. You just took it too far. Maybe if you explained what happened, he may let you off the hook," Téa said, hoping she could help one of her closest friends.

"Thanks Téa, but fighting is fighting, and my dad certainly won't like that."

"I wish we could help, Joey," said Yugi, immediately wishing that he could've helped his buddy before he got himself into trouble.

"Aww don't worry 'bout it, Yug," Joey quickly said, trying to sound more upbeat so it wouldn't upset him. "How 'bout this? After I get these four hours done, why don't we all meet at Yugi's place? We can play games, watch movies, whatever we want. Besides, after spending an evening with Seto Kaiba, I'm gonna need my friends there to make me forget about that stuck-up rich boy."

The gang laughed, all of them secretly relieved that the tense moment was over.

"OK, class. Get out your textbooks. I have a few worksheets for you today," Mrs. Masako stated as she returned to the room.

The students groaned as they reached for their books.

"Back to work, guys," Tristan said as he turned around in his seat towards the front of the class.

"You sure you're alright, Joey?"

"Yea, Yugi. Quit worrying about me. Just make sure I have fun when I meet you guys at your house," Joey said jokingly, hoping to ease Yugi's worries.

"OK, then," Yugi chuckled as he turned to listen to Mrs. Masako's lesson.

'_Phew. Glad that's over. I'm sure glad I didn't tell them about my conversation with Kaiba in the hallway. That really would've had them buggin' out._' Joey laid his head on the desk, trying to avoid looking in Kaiba's direction. '_Just get me through this afternoon and everything will go back to normal. Whatever Kaiba's corrupt mind has in store for me, it couldn't be any worse than what I've already been through._' Taking a deep breath, Joey closed his eyes. '_At least, I hope so…_'

* * *

"Welcome to your new home for the next four hours," one of the security guards said.

Kaiba and Joey reluctantly exited the white van that took them from their school to an empty lot that could've easily been mistaken for a trash dump.

"Now in four hours, we'll be back to pick you two up. Hopefully picking up trash will keep you guys from picking on each other."

"You're not staying?!" Joey exclaimed. "How would you even know we did anything?"

"Easy," the other security guard replied as he reached into his jacket.

_**CLICK**_

"Now if this lot looks the exact same way as it does in this picture, then we'll know you didn't do anything," said the security guard, holding the snapshot in his hands.

"Another way we can tell if you did anything is if these trash bags aren't filled to the brim," handing the bags to Kaiba.

"That still doesn't tell us why you're leaving, especially when it was made perfectly clear that you would be _chaperoning _us," scoffed Kaiba, taking the bags resentfully.

"No, that is what you assumed. Now we would _love _to watch you boys pick up trash," the same security guard sarcastically retorted, "but we have to get back to the school to handle any more trouble makers that are too ignorant to go home."

Kaiba folded his arms and smirked. "If that's your best excuse, then fine, go head and leave." He then looked at the two guards standing in front of him, both wearing the same shirt that read 'Security'. "But at least I have a job where I don't have to wear what I do on my chest. That just shows how insecure you really are." Both guards shot him death glares, but Kaiba merely widened his smirk.

"Watch it, kid. You don't know who you're messing with." With that, both guards starting moving towards the van. However, the security guard with the snapshot stopped and looked at the boys.

"And one more thing…both of you better be here when we come to pick you up. Otherwise, we'll just think you ditched, and we'll make sure Dean Hikano hears about it."

And with that, they were gone.

'_Well, better get to it,_' Joey thought as he took a quick glance around. Putting on the gloves that the security guards gave them in the van, he got a trash bag and began picking up whatever was near him. '_At least I'm doing something nice for my community._' After watching Joey work, Kaiba eventually sucked up his pride, put on his gloves, and began to do the same thing. Neither boy spoke to the other.

This is how it went for two hours…


	4. Chapter 3

**A Cruel Twist**

_**Chapter 3: The Ultimate Intrusion  
**_

'_Just keep working…just keep working…two more hours…two more hours…_'

Joey chanted this in his mind, wishing that the time would go by faster. Despite not communicating at all, Joey and Kaiba managed to do a decent job with the lot. Eight bags were already filled, and the two they were working on would soon make it ten.

The sun was setting, the afternoon was turning into evening... and the day unexpectedly took on an ominous tone.

'_Two more hours…just two more hours…_'

Suddenly, a shiver ran up Joey's spine. He paused, at first unsure of what he heard…nothing, absolutely nothing. Raising his head, Joey looked around him, trying to figure something out- where was Kaiba?

"Kaiba? Where are you? You better not have ditched me!" Joey put down the bag he had in his hands and started looking around for Kaiba. He went around the whole lot, but didn't find him.

"DANG IT!" Joey exclaimed, "I cant believe he did that! Stupid little rich boy!" he slammed his fist into a wall that enclosed the lot. Resting his head on the wall, he banged his right fist into the wall. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! I hate that son of a-"

Out of nowhere a fist connected with the left side of his face.

"OWW!!" before Joey could find out where the blow came from, he was hit again, this time on the right side of his face, and a gloved hand grabbed his throat and slammed Joey back against the wall. Gagging, Joey struggled to open his eyes to try and find the culprit… it was Kaiba.

"What the…? What are you doing, Kaiba?!" Joey demanded.

"Shut up, you pathetic fool." he punched Joey again, this time drawing blood. "I told you that you were going to learn your place and that you're going to get what's coming to you."

"So what? You wanna rematch, cause I'll gladly take you on." Joey struggled to get Kaiba's hand away from his throat, but his grip was like steel.

Panicking, Joey looked Kaiba in the eyes, but what he saw wasn't Kaiba; in his place was a guy that he didn't even recognize- the evil encompassed the familiar stranger. And then he smiled- this stranger smiled a smile that would make even the Devil himself cringe. '_Oh no… if I happen to make it out of here alive, I'm pretty sure it will haunt me for the rest of my life._'

Finally losing his shaky bravado, Joey gruffly whimpered and asked Kaiba, "What are you going to do to me?" Kaiba's strange smile deepened, and simply stated, "Exactly what you just did. I'm going to make you WHIMPER and SHAKE like the whimpering dog you really are. Maybe this'll teach you where you belong."

Joey closed his eyes, readying himself for the onslaught that he expected Kaiba to bring. Instead, Kaiba removed his hand from Joey's throat. Joey stood there, his eyes shut tight, his jaw clenching, unclenching, and clenching again, bracing for a punch that would never come.

And then, the nightmare began.

* * *

Kaiba grabbed Joey's arms and forced them above Joey's head. Joey yelped, but his eyes stayed closed. Then, something Joey wasn't expecting, happened.

'_Kaiba's nibbling on my ear?!_' Joey opened his eyes to meet the side of Kaiba's face. Joey tried to escape Kaiba's grasp, but to no avail. Kaiba then clamped down on his sensitive ear- hard. "OWW!!"

Kaiba released one of his hands from around Joey's wrists and started to unbutton Joey's school shirt.

'_Is this really happening? Is Kaiba really doing this? Am I really getting molested by him?_' Joey shook his head, trying to shake his tears and the truth away. '_H_e_ really wouldn't do that. I gotta get out of here!_' But even with one hand, Kaiba still had a grip on Joey that he just couldn't get out of.

Joey tensed. Kaiba had his shirt open and he began to stroke Joey's left nipple. Kaiba dropped his head towards Joey's neck, sucking and pulling, red spots appearing on the sensitive skin. He moved his hand across Joey's chest and started stroking the right nipple. Loosening his grip slightly on Joey's wrists, he dipped his head and started kissing on Joey's chest, moving back and forth between the now hardened nubs and sucking softly on each. Kaiba finally let go of Joey's arms to run his hands lightly over his chest, outlining the hard ripples in his abdomen.

'_Now's my chance to escape. I won't stand here any longer and let him do this to me._' With all the strength he could muster, he grabbed Kaiba's shoulders and plowed his let knee into Kaiba's gut. Faltering Kaiba stepped back, but wanting more room, Joey pushed him out of the way and tried to run past him. However, Kaiba surprised him with a short jab to his side. Joey doubled over, and Kaiba kicked into Joey's shin. His knees buckling, Joey collided head first into the ground.

Huffing with pain and anger, Kaiba coldly stated, "You're not going anywhere 'til you've learned your lesson." Placing his foot on Joey's back so that he couldn't move, Kaiba began to unzip his pants. Joey squirmed, trying to hold back his tears at the frightening sound.

His pants now around his ankles, Kaiba leaned over and turned Joey over until he was on his back. '_This is the last time I can try to escape. If I don't make it, Kaiba's gonna… NO!_' Now facing Kaiba, Joey swung his arms out from his sides and began slapping and punching, biting and scratching; but it was like a fly trying to break down a wall. Kaiba, seemingly unfazed, began to unbuckle Joey's pants, pulling them, as well as his briefs, completely off. Joey was now left with just his ruined shirt on and almost completely naked, while Kaiba only had his bottom half uncovered. Clamping his eyes shut again, Joey once again held back the tears threatening to erupt from behind his eyelids. '_No…no…this can't be happening…please tell me its all a joke._'

Instead of moving on with his _lesson, _Kaiba hesitated, moving his eyes slowly up and down Joey's naked figure. With a smirk on his face, he forcefully turned Joey onto his stomach, and prepared to intrude upon Joey's body- once proud and confident, now badly beaten. Not broken…that is, not yet anyways.

Leaning over Joey, Kaiba whispered in his ear, "I'm about to break you beyond repair, over and over and OVER again." Kaiba stopped, finally seeing the tears that at last broke free from Joey's eyes. "Puh…puh…please Kaiba, don't. I know we aren't on the best of terms, but please don't do this to me. I... I don't want to lose it like this." Kaiba still pausing, Joey added, "Please, Kaiba. I've learned my lesson."

Joey jumped when he felt something hard and thick press against him. In the coldest voice Joey's ever heard, Kaiba whispered, "I'll be the judge of that."

And then he entered.

Joey screamed. But this scream was different; it was filled with horror and anguish, disbelief and terror, pain and suffering, and emotions that have yet to be discovered.

Kaiba delved deeper, his thrusts going in and out with the rhythm of every scream that left Joey's lips. Deeper and deeper he went, destroying the sensitive flesh of Joey's anus. Faster and faster he went, Kaiba's moans and groans eventually surpassing Joey's screams. Eventually, Joey fell silent, because he knew that no matter how much he screamed, Kaiba wouldn't stop. No one would hear him either, because the empty lot in which they were supposed to be working on was in an isolated and desolate area of Domino City. The site of Joey's retribution to society was now his living nightmare, a moment in his lifetime he would never forget.

Not losing his rhythm, Kaiba reached under Joey and gripped him. Joey yelped as Kaiba began to tug forcefully on _him._ Kaiba seemed to enjoy the yelps because he tugged harder on him, eventually getting it to harden.

'_This pain…is un… unbearable… and yet I'm… hard? STOP… PLEASE! Why is he still doing this?_'

Seemingly out of nowhere, the strange, melodious voice spoke again to Joey. '_Oh, dear…this wasn't supposed to happen. I'm so sorry, Joey. I was supposed to protect you and match you up with your soul mate…but instead I let this happen._'

'_Who are you?_' Joey pleaded, but the voice disappeared. Tears yet again filled Joey's eyes. '_Why is this happening to me?_'

Deeper and faster, Kaiba rode Joey, finally removing his hand off of him. Kaiba, almost spent, leaned over Joey again to reposition himself. He started again, resting his hands on Joey's shoulders to steady himself. He fastened his pace, going much faster than he was before, grunting and groaning even more, getting closer to his climax.

Still leaning over him, Kaiba whispered to Joey, "Well, mutt, looks like you have learned your lesson. And I don't think I can call you 'mutt' any longer, because now, you're officially my…"

'_No more. I don't want to hear anymore._'

Kaiba fell silent, his moans finally picking up again, and after several seconds, he grunted and erupted. Joey fell the warm fluid enter him, and he screamed his last scream, its sound resonating through the empty lot, escaping and dying out in the darkness of the new night.

* * *

Kaiba exited Joey, pulled up his pants, and started working again- as if nothing happened. Joey stayed perfectly still, wondering if what happened… happened. And what was that strange voice in his head? Was he going crazy?

Finally snapping out of his daze, Joey began to get dressed as quickly as possible, not looking at Kaiba.

'_This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to work these four hours, ignore Kaiba, and meet with the gang to get over it. I gotta get home…_'

"Where are you going? We still have an hour before they come to pick us up. If you leave now, the Dean is going to hear of this." Kaiba, oddly back to his normal self, was only met with silence…

**An Hour Later…  
**

"Hey! Where's the other kid? Both of you were supposed to be here when we came to pick you up!"

Kaiba stared at the two guards. "I don't know where he went." He climbed into the van, his hand massaging his temple.

'_And honestly, I can't recall anything. I remember picking up trash with Wheeler, and then…nothing._'

* * *

The night was dark; the night was cool. Joey opened the door and headed for the bathroom, barely noticing that his dad wasn't home from work.

He turned the shower up to the hottest it could get. Joey took off his clothes, wincing from the nulling pain still between his thighs. He stepped into the flow of water and just stood there, letting the boiling liquid fall on his tight skin. Slowly, he reached for the body sponge hanging on the bathtub's stall. Once in his hand, he vigorously began to rub, rub, rub… as if trying to erase what had occurred only an hour ago. He rubbed and scrubbed until his skin was covered in red splotches, but it didn't help.

Exhausted, Joey turned off the water and walked toward his room. He fell on the bed, wanting to go to bed but couldn't. Joey's eyes… they were dark, the luster usually there, gone. So lifeless… Joey didn't move a muscle, his wet skin glistening in the moonlight that seeped through his window.

**This is exactly how his father found him a few hours later…**

* * *

**A/N: *rubs back of head with embarrassment* heh heh, well um... there's ur 4th chapter. Intense? I think so. As you can see, I'm very...um...creative...when it comes to scenes like these, so I hope that for experienced yaoi writers out there, that was at least sub par. But this is the reason why i wont be doing any more yaoi stories: Its not that i CAN'T... its just that i won't. Im not very comfortable when it comes to yaoi scenes like these. im CREATIVE, of course, but um... its just weird. Anyways, for the yaoi lovers out there, i hope you liked it. However, the story gets even more twisted as it progresses, so i hope u stick around to enjoy it. Also, for any more fanfics i write, i might do more romantic scenes, but idk yet if i want to take it to the 'next level', if you catch my drift. It isnt hard to write, its just weird, as i've said. I guess it depends on the story itself (and remember, all of my pairings in my future fics will be those hinted at in the english dub of Yu-Gi-Oh!- so i apologize to the yaoi lovers). Anyways, next chapter will be up soon. Will we find out what happens to Joey? You're just going to have to wait :)**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello again. Here's the next chapter so I hope you enjoy it. And in response to one of my reviews, I would like to ask anonmon what shonen-ai is. Is that writing stories without graphic images? And its not that im not up to it, its just that when a writer tends to write about... um... that topic, the rest of the story is rather pointless. The readers are just anticipating the chapter in which it happens. So the chapters preceding it are basically irrelevant (sorry, but this is what i believe). So i can easily do graphic images if i wanted to, however, i dont wanna do yaoi or any other topic like it because then my readers would be expecting it. So i have said before that i may do scenes like the one in Chapter 3, but i will not put it in the summary if im planning on it. I want my readers to enjoy the story that I have created, and romantic scenes will just be more appreciative in the long run. However, i am still interested in this shonen-ai, so please tell me more about, anonmon. As for the rest of my readers, HAPPY READING!**

**

* * *

**

**A Cruel Twist**

_**Chapter 4: Unwanted Explanation**_

_RRRRIIIINNNGGGG!!_

"Settle down, class. I'll be right back to get today's lessons started."

"Sweet! A few extra minutes of bliss before she ruins it," joked Tristan to Yugi and Téa.

"Yeah. At least we have some time to talk." Téa turned to face them. "Sorry I couldn't make it last night. What did you three do?"

"More like two. Joey was a no show," Tristan replied.

"We tried to call last night, but no one picked up the phone," Yugi added, worry lines crinkling his cute face.

"Really? That doesn't seem like Joey. If he wasn't going to come, he would have phoned one of us," Téa said.

"…And I just realized neither Kaiba or Joey are here," Tristan said as he glanced around the room.

"Do you think something happened between Joey and Kaiba that kept both of them from showing up today?" Yugi asked.

"I hope not," Téa replied. "But considering what happened yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised. If they started fighting again, they could've been expelled, since it is the maximum punishment for fighting." She shivered at the possibility.

"OK class, get out your notes and study. You have ten minutes before your test. If you have any questions about the test, please-"

Mrs. Masako was interrupted by a loud knock that echoed through the room. Dean Hikano entered the room, a solemn look on his face.

He walked briskly over to Mrs. Masako and whispered something in her ear, all eyes following his movements, wondering what was going on.

"What?! Oh my…" exclaimed Mrs. Masako, cupping her hand over her mouth. Dean Hikano shook his head and left the room. Mrs. Masako sorrowfully looked around the class, stopping at Joey's empty chair.

"Ummm…" Mrs. Masako started with a shaky voice, "I'm sorry to tell you this, class, but one of your fellow classmates, Joey Wheeler, is in the hospital…" She paused, directing her eyes to the chair that belonged to Kaiba. "... And Seto Kaiba is no where to be found."

Muffled voices began to fill the class, shocked that two of their own were in horrible situations.

Only three voices weren't among them. Only three had horrified and confused looks as they stared at each other. Only three thought of their closest friend, thinking, '_What happened?_'

* * *

"Mr. Kaiba, I'm trying to hold them off, but eventually I won't be able to do it anymore, sir," Kaiba's secretary said.

"What do they want with me, anyway? It's bad enough that I can't remember anything from last night."

"Well, sir, they believe that you may be the cause of what happened to a young man… a Mr. Joey Wheeler, I believe."

"Joey? What would I know about what happened to him? He bailed on me when the guards came to pick us up. Anything that happened to that fool has nothing to do with me."

"Uh… yes sir. Sorry, Mr. Kaiba, I'll try my hardest to hold them off for a little while longer." Bowing slightly, she quickly exited his office.

Frustrated, Kaiba left his desk and took a look out the window to the view of Domino City. The day was already bustling, people were walking, running, or just strolling around, enjoying the nature around them. Some were in cars, irritated that they were stuck in traffic due to the morning rush hour. Kids were at the park, climbing trees and running around; the boys picking on the girls, and the girls squealing, "Ewww! Cooties!!"

'_Why do I barely remember anything from last night? And how would I know what happened to Wheeler? I try everything in my power to avoid that second- rate duelist, yet somehow I may be to blame for whatever happened to the idiot._'

'_I don't even know what's wrong with the guy._' Kaiba ran his hand through his brown hair. '_But I have a bad feeling that I'm about to find out._'

* * *

"Man, I thought school would never end," said Tristan as they rushed into the hospital.

"I'm just glad we're finally here," Téa replied. "We have to find him, guys."

They looked around the hospital's lobby for doctors, nurses, police; anyone who could help them. Their eyes finally landed on Joey's father, sitting in a corner seat to the left of the lobby, his head cradled in his hands. They ran to him.

"MR. WHEELER!!" they shouted simultaneously. He looked up, surprised, and through his wall of tears he could make out the three figures of Joey's closest friends.

"Mr. Wheeler, what's wrong? What happened to Joey?" Yugi demanded, but Mr. Wheeler shook his head. "I don't know… I found him in his room; he wasn't moving, barely even breathing. I called the police as soon as possible. I still have yet to find out the news." Shaking his head again, he dropped his head back into his hands.

"I really can't believe he's in the hospital. He's always acting like a tough guy, so it must have been something pretty bad that put him in a hospital bed."

"You're right, Tristan. How did this happen to Joey?" Téa asked, trying to be strong, but secretly wanting to cry her eyes out.

"I really don't know Té-"

"Look, guys! A doctor is heading towards us!" Yugi suddenly exclaimed. Mr. Wheeler raised his head and looked for him. With a long white coat, a stethoscope, and white examination gloves, the doctor approached the group.

"Hello Mr. Wheeler. I'm Dr. Hikashi and I just came from examining your son."

"Oh, yes. Thank you. How is he? What happened?" Mr. Wheeler was on his feet, reading the doctor's eyes to find the unspoken answers.

"Don't worry. Mr. Wheeler. What happened to him isn't what put him in a coma. An intensified state of horror and shock is what caused your son's mental relapse. And with my diagnosis, you can expect him to be fully conscious within a few hours.'

"Thank you!" Mr. Wheeler exclaimed, clasping Dr. Hikashi's hand and shaking it. "Thank you so much! My boy is going to be okay!"

"Well, I'm glad you're relieved, but now comes the bad news."

"BAD NEWS?", the gang cried in unison.

"Not about Joey's current state. I meant concerning what caused him to fall into a coma," the doctor explained.

"Okay, go 'head, Doc," Tristan replied. "We gotta know what happened."

"Okay… but you may not like it." He cleared his throat and began. "When Joey Wheeler was brought into the hospital, we at first thought he was dead because he had suspicious red spots all over him, his eyes appeared lifeless, he didn't move a muscle, and we could barely make out a pulse. Not wanting to risk anything, we waited for a steady pulse to be established before continuing with the examination. We noticed that he had bruises all over his face, as if he was hit repeatedly. We were informed that yesterday he was involved in a fight with a fellow classmate, but some of the bruises were more recent than the others. We also noticed severe bruisings on his chest and on his sides, suggesting he was punched continuously, even causing a few ribs to be broken.

"After the frontal examination was complete, we began the dorsal exam. Nothing seemed unusual except for a few bruises, continuous with those on his sides. However, once we arrived at the anal area, everything on what happened to him came together."

"And what exactly was that?", his father demanded.

"I really don't know how to tell you this, but when we examined the area, we found a slow blood leak, originating from the entrance of his anus. On the anus, we found bruising and torn flesh. Scabs were beginning to form, which irritated the sensitive muscle in the area, causing the blood leak. We also found traces of bodily fluids just on the inside of the opening."

"So what exactly are you trying to tell me, doctor?" Mr. Wheeler asked, his hands clenching and reclenching.

"The bad news," Dr. Hikashi simply answered. "I'm sorry to inform all of you, but… Joey Wheeler was raped, and due to the location of the bodily fluid, I've concluded it wasn't a female that did it."

_Silence… Time stopped for Joey's loved ones. Outside of their timeless bubble, Dr. Hikashi returned to the examination room to transfer Joey to the intensive care unit; muffled voices of the nurses rafted across the room as they rushed to perform their assigned duties for the day; the few people who were in the waiting room were quiet, hoping that their problems or their loved ones' problems weren't life- threatening. Outside of the hospital, people on the streets blew at each other because of the problematic traffic. Pedestrians received not-so-friendly comments from the drivers who zoomed past, simply ignoring them as they rushed to their destination. Young love sprouted in the park as shy teenagers indulged in kisses from the one they were smitten with. Further on, the city continued to live life under that universal symbol- the sun. All was right in the world, but in the small timeless bubble of Joey's family and friends, it seemed as their world was abruptly being torn apart, its innocence taken away just as Joey's was- without warning and without an apology note._

Mr. Wheeler finally broke the stunned silence. "My boy was… raped? How did that happen? Who would do such a thing?" Not able to stand, he sat back in the chair, and hung his head.

"No," Tristan said, walking briskly to the corridor that led to the exit. Téa and Yugi ran after him.

"Where are you going, Tristan?", Téa demanded.

"To find the sick jerk that did this to him," replied Tristan, picking up the pace.

"But you don't even know where to begin to look, Tristan, And even if you do decide to go on this wild goose chase, shouldn't you at least wait until you see Joey first? Don't you want to see him and make sure he's okay?"

"Téa! You just don't get it!" Tristan stopped and turned abruptly, looking Téa in the eyes. "We couldn't help him, Téa! He was out there getting raped while Yugi and I were playing video games! He was suffering while we were having fun! Maybe if I'd stopped him from fighting Kaiba, he wouldn't even be in this mess."

"I know how you feel, Tristan," Yugi softly said, trying to comfort his friend. "But we couldn't have helped him even if we wanted to, and no matter what we may have been doing when this took place, we'd still feel partly responsible. But Joey is alive and well, Tristan. So before you go after the culprit, at least go and see this fact for yourself."

Tristan sighed and calmed himself down. "You're right, Yugi. You're both right. I'm sorry for yelling at you , Téa."

"Don't mention it, Tristan," Téa said. "Now lets go find Dr. Hikashi and see if we can finally go see Joey."**

* * *

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**A/N: Hi everyone. Kinda posted this a little later than I wanted to, but school got in the way *rolls eyes*. Any hoo, i hoped u enjoyed this chapter because I tried to be very thorough in the events that happened at the hospital. It does come off as a filler, but I dont consider it that because it's very important to the plot. In my next chapter, I will finally be introducing Kitty-Guardian_Dorothy's character. I've gone around with her because I thought it would appeal to you all more if i kept her a mystery. Now, the mystery will be revealed in the next chapter. So keep on reading, because what this newest character does is what changes the tune to this whole story. Thanks for reviewing and reading. Next chapter is on the way :D**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello, again! Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I wasn't really expecting reviews for my first story, but it is greatly appreciated. I would love to hear what you think and what you think i could do to improve my writing skills, but remember, i do not demand it. It's totally up to you. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Everything I promised in my A/N in my last chapter is all here. so ENJOY. Btw thanks to anonmon and Phoenixofdarkness62. Shonen-ai actually seems like something i can do, especially for my yaoi lovers. I know that I said earlier that I wont be doing anymore yaoi stories, but I understand that it isnt fair to limit my audience to just one type of story. however, because yaoi is uncomfortable for me to write, i think i can handle shonen-ai, which appeals more to the romantic side of a yaoi couple than the physical. so in the future I am actually considering doing shonen-ai stories. Thanks once again. Now on to the story!**

**A Cruel Twist**

_**Chapter 5: First Encounter**_

The gang paced nervously outside of the ICU, waiting for the father to come out. Moments later, he emerged.

"How is he, Mr. Wheeler?" Téa asked him.

"He looks fine. His breathing is back to normal and it's as if he's only sleeping." Mr. Wheeler yawned. "I gotta go to the office to explain this situation and pick up something to eat. I should be back in a half hour."

"Don't come back, Mr. Wheeler," Yugi said. "You know that Joey's fine, so catch up on your sleep and whatever business you need to attend to. We'll call you if anything happens."

"Umm…" Mr. Wheeler replied, uncertain. "Okay, I'll go, but call me as soon as anything happens. I'll bring him some clothes to change into when I get back." Hesitating for one moment longer, Mr. Wheeler turned and headed for the exit.

"Ready, guys?" Tristan asked.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Téa replied.

"He looks so… peaceful," commented Téa as they stood over Joey. Within the ICU, the beeps of the machine were the only sound in the room.

"That's good. After the experience he's been through, he deserves a peaceful rest," Tristan added as he looked at Joey.

"And he doesn't look as bad as I thought he would. Except for the few red blotches on his skin, he looks just like his normal self," Téa replied.

"Well I'm happy that his physical state is intact, but it's his mental state that I'm worried about," Yugi said, concern showing in his eyes.

"Yeah…" Tristan and Téa replied.

"I wonder what's going on inside his head. If he's having a dream or something."

"Who knows, Téa?" Tristan said. "It could be anything…"

* * *

"_Joey… Joey? Get up, Joey. I need to speak with you."_

'_There's that strange voice again.' "Who are you? What do you want?"_

_Searching his mind, Joey tried to locate the source of the mystical voice._

"_Well, for one I would like to apologize. And second, I'd like to introduce myself, and seeing as you're in a coma, this seemed a good a time as any."_

"_I'm in a coma?" Joey asked._

"_Yes, but don't worry. As soon as we get properly introduced, you'll wake right up."_

"_OK, then. Who are you? I've been asking you this for the longest."_

"_Patience, patience, my dear Joey. First I have to apologize." The voice, filled with regret and guilt, suddenly seemed closer._

"_Apologize for what?"_

"_About what happened to you," the voice admitted, guiltily. The voice cleared its throat and began. "Though I can't tell you much about myself just yet, I do want you to know that I'm responsible for making sure you and your soul mate end up together. You may not believe what I say next, but your soul mate is Seto Kaiba."_

"_What?! Are you out of your mind?!! How the heck do you expect me to believe that? That stupid idiot raped me!" Joey roared._

"_Yes, I know that. And it wasn't supposed to happen that way. I just got a little over excited and tried to speed up the matchmaking process. So I caused you to attack Kaiba in class so that you would end up spending time alone. From there I expected destiny to take over. But that didn't exactly happen."_

"_NOTHING wasn't supposed to happen at all!" Joey retorted angrily._

"_Don't raise your voice at me. And it WAS supposed to happen. It went well at first, but then something happened to Kaiba." The voice paused, as if trying to find the right words. "Something- I don't know what- possessed Kaiba last night, so in a sense he didn't rape you, but whatever possessed him did."_

"_You know what? I don't care. All I'm trying to do is forget that horrible experience. Now are you going to tell me who- or what- you are?"_

_The voice sighed. "Very well."_

_Suddenly, a figure appeared before him. It was a sight that Joey had never seen before. It looked like a cat, but it didn't seem like one. The creature had shimmering red eyes, black hair covering its body, and iriomote cat ears. That was the closest it got to looking like a cat. The creature also had wings, and the tail seemed peculiar… yet very familiar._

'_What the…?' Joey thought to himself. 'It has the wings and tail of my most prized monster, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon.'_

"_Do… do you have a name? And what exactly are you?"_

"_Of course I have a name. My name is Dorothy. I am the hybrid of a demon and an angel, making me one of the rarest and strongest of my kind. I have the appearance of a kitty, and because I belong to you, I also look like your Red-Eyes Black Dragon. I am Dorothy, your kitty-guardian."_

"_Kitty-guardian? Like some kind of protector?" Joey asked, still shocked by Dorothy's strange, yet mesmerizing and beautiful appearance._

"_yes, I am," Dorothy sighed, "and that's why I need to apologize. What happened to you is the result of my eagerness to get you together with Kaiba, and yet I call myself your protector."_

"_Am I the only one who can see you?" Joey asked, ignoring Dorothy's apology._

"_Well you and your sister Serenity can see me willingly. However, someone else can see me only if I wish to reveal myself to them."_

"_Cool. Can I ask you some more questions?"_

"_Umm… sure. Fire away."_

* * *

"Wow, guys. I still can't believe someone did this to Joey," Téa whispered to Tristan and Yugi.

"I know what you mean. It just doesn't make any sense," Tristan replied.

'_Yugi, I think we need to discuss something,_' the Pharaoh suddenly said.

'_Yeah, sure. You've been awfully quiet lately,_' Yugi replied.

'_I know. It's just that I've been listening to what happened to Joey, and something just doesn't add up._'

'_And what's that, Pharaoh?_'

'_Well, considering what happened yesterday, Kaiba and Joey were both sentenced to a punishment for four hours._'

'_Yeah, the community service hours._'

'_Right. They were taken to perform those hours, but as you were leaving school yesterday, I noticed the van that escorted them there returned, thus leaving Joey and Kaiba by themselves_'

'_Yeah, you're right. It's a good thing I stayed after school for tutoring or you never would've caught that._'

'Now think about this Yugi. Joey and Kaiba were alone together for four hours, and from what I've heard from other students in the halls earlier today, Kaiba was the only one that was picked up last night, meaning Joey got home a different way, most probably by walking. Seeing that Kaiba was the last to see him, he either knows what happened to Joey and won't tell anyone, or he was the one that raped Joey.'

'_Kaiba… raping Joey? That seems unlikely._'

'_I know it does, but what I believe we should do is pay Seto Kaiba a visit. Seeing as he wasn't at school today, he's most likely at his company._'

'_Well, if that's what you want. I'll tell Tristan and Téa your theory, and see if they want to come with us._'

Yugi redirected his attention back to his friends. Within minutes, they also knew about the Pharaoh's theory.

"Kaiba? Why would he do something like that? He can't stand Joey," Tristan said after Yugi's explanation.

"Yes, I know, but seeing as Kaiba was the last one who say Joey, he has to know something," Yugi replied. "Now are you guys up to confronting Kaiba?"

"Yeah, Yugi. We're up to anything if it means getting to the bottom of this," Téa answered.

"Okay, guys. Let's go."

* * *

"… _and that's how my demon mother and angel father fell in love and had me."_

"_Wow! That was an awesome story!" Joey exclaimed._

"_Is that all?" Dorothy asked, becoming impatient._

"_Just one more question?"_

_Dorothy rolled her eyes. "Okay, one more. But that's all!"_

_Almost in a whisper, Joey asked, "Why are Kaiba and I soul mates?"_

_Surprised, Dorothy looked him in the eyes, trying to figure out the best way to explain it to him._

"_To tell you the truth, Joey, I don't know. When you're dealing with fate and destiny, there are no reasons or explanations. It is what it is. You two have been meant for each other even before either of you left your mothers' wombs. Your paths were already mapped out, and at some point in your lives, you would have realized you belonged together and lived happily ever after. But due to my interference, your paths took a completely different course, and led to something twisted and evil. That' s why we need to get you out of this coma, so you can confront Kaiba and ask what happened to him."_

"_Do you really think I should do this, Dorothy?"_

"_Yes, Joey."_

"_Okay, then. Wake me up."_

* * *

"Joey! You're awake!" exclaimed his father as Joey's eyes fluttered open.

"Where… where am I? Wasn't I in my room?" Joey asked, confused.

"Yes, but I checked you into the hospital because you looked terrible and you were barely breathing. Right now you're in the ICU."

"My…friends…"

"Yes, Joey. They were here earlier. They stayed with you when I left to get you a change of clothes," his father said, showing him the small pile in his hands, "but when I got back, they were gone. They left a note and said they had to go speak to someone right away."

"Wait, who?"

"Umm…" his dad looked at the note, "it says a Mr. Seto Kaiba."

'Kaiba? I gotta go stop them. I have to confront him, not them.'

_**Beep…Beep…Beep**_

Mr. Wheeler looked down at his beeper. "Oh, no. The company's paging me… do you think you'll be okay for awhile?"

"Sure, Dad. You can go." '_Yes. I need him to leave anyways. If he stuck around and I tried to leave, he wouldn't let me._'

"Okay, son. But I'll be back as soon as I can." Putting Joey's clothes on a seat, his father left the room.

'_Now that he's gone, I can get out of here._' Reaching for the clothes, Joey began to dress. '_I just hope that when I confront Kaiba, everything will be explained to me._'

Almost finished, Joey stalled. Voices arose from in front of his room.

"Joey Wheeler's father just left. He informed us that he was awake, Dr. Hikashi."

Joey stiffened. '_Dang it! This is all I need. Don't come in… don't come in…_'

"Thank you, Nurse Mena. I will go and see if he's doing better-"

"DR. HIKASHI!! CODE BLUE!! Ms. Hitachi in 301 is going into cardiac arrest!!"

"I'm on it. Let's move people. We must hurry!" Dr. Hikashi and three nurses quickly hurried to room 301.

'_Phew. I'm sorry, Ms. Hitachi, about your condition, but you couldn't have come at a better time._'

Fully dressed, Joey darted out of the ICU, snuck past nurses and doctors, and made it outside.

"HEY!" Joey yelled, trying to catch a cab. "Take me to Kaiba Corp, please," he told the cabbie.

'_Well, Kaiba, here I come. And when I get there, you better have an explanation ready._'

* * *

**A/N: Well there you go! I promised that a new character would be introduced, and its all thanks to my good friend, Kitty-Guardian_Dorothy. Dorothy will be talked about more in the next chapters, but if you REALLY want to get the feel of her TRUE character, then I'd advise you all to check out my friend's page and read her fanfics. Dorothy is featured in her stories, but if you see any differences between my Dorothy and hers, its because I wrote this fanfic before she wrote hers, but she posted hers first, so our ideas of Dorothy will of course be different. But I did my best with Dorothy, and I hope my friend and all of you appreciate her character. Anyways, the drama continues into the next chapter, so don't quit on me now!! :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**Well everyone, here's the next chapter. I hope all of you are satisfied with my updates. I really did my best to get at least one up everyday, and I think I did a fairly well job. Of course school is a bummer in my schedule and my little everyday tragedies kind of put a strain on me, but I will never allow that to affect my loyal readers. I love you all and I am so glad that you've followed this story up to this point. Anyways, on with the story!!**

**A Cruel Twist**

**Chapter 6: The Confrontation**

"KAIBA!!'

Surprised, Kaiba turned to see Yugi, Tristan, and Téa in his office.

"I'm sorry, sir. They just barged right in before I could stop them," his secretary abashedly explained.

"Fine. I'll handle it from here."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba." She bowed her apologies before leaving the room.

With a smirk on his face, Kaiba walked around his desk, stopping a few feet away from the trio.

"Well, if it isn't the Geek Squad. Would one of you mind telling me what you're doing here?"

"You know EXACTLY what we're here for," Tristan retorted. "What happened to Joey?"

"Do I look like I really care about what happened to Wheeler?"

"Kaiba! You were the last to see him last night, so for your sake, I'd advise you to care!" Téa replied, pressing her clenched hands into her sides.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. He wasn't even with me when those guards came to pick us up last night."

"So you're saying that you don't remember what happened to Joey?" Yugi asked, starting to believe the Pharaoh's theory to be correct.

"No, I don't. One minute we were both picking up trash, each of us ignoring the other, and the next he's gone. Most likely he was mad that he had to pick up trash and snuck home when I wasn't paying attention, leaving me to do it myself. Whatever happened to the mutt probably happened while he was sneaking off and ditching me. And frankly, I don't care."

'_Pharaoh, I can't listen to any of this nonsense any longer. Can you take over?_'

'_Sure, Yugi. If that is what you want._'

"Kaiba!" shouted the Pharaoh in his booming voice. Tristan and Téa looked at him, knowing that Yugi and the Pharaoh had switched places. As usual, Kaiba was clueless.

"What now, Yugi?" Kaiba demanded.

"We've been trying to do this the easy way, but seeing as you're pretending like you can't remember, let me refresh your memory. Did you or did you not rape Joey?"

Kaiba stared at the Pharaoh, and then burst out laughing.

"Is this some kind of joke? Why the heck would I rape him? I don't even like him, let alone find him attractive."

"Well, seeing as you were the last person to see Joey before he was checked into the hospital, either you saw something but won't talk, or you raped him. And since you're claiming that you didn't see anything, then the only option left is that you raped him!"

"Listen to me, Yugi. For the last time, I don't like Wheeler. I can't stand the very thought of that second-rate duelist. I didn't rape him, and the only reason I'm being blamed is because of circumstantial evidence, not concrete proof. So if we're done-"

"Sorry, again sir," his secretary interrupted, "but he said that if I didn't let him in, he would call the police. And I just got rid of them an hour ago." The newcomer stalked past her and entered the room, his eyes trained on Kaiba. Apologetically, the secretary quickly left the room.

"Joey?!" the trio exclaimed, happy that he was up and walking.

Joey smiled at them, but then returned to glaring at Kaiba. "We need to talk."

* * *

"Joey? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the hospital, recovering."

"I know, Téa, but I got a score to settle with Kaiba."

"Joey, what happened to you, man?" Tristan asked.

"Kaiba raped me, Tristan. That's what happened."

"WHAT?!" Tristan exclaimed. Suspecting the option was one thing, but actually knowing for fact that it's what happened to Joey was too much for Tristan. Seeing red, Tristan angrily charged at Kaiba, catching him off guard and punching him in the jaw.

"You disgusting jerk! I'm gonna make you pay! Nobody hurts Joey and gets away with it!!" Tristan, still not wanting to believe, began to pummel Kaiba senselessly.

"Tristan, stop it!" Joey demanded. With his fists raised in preparation for his next attack, Tristan faltered, confused that Joey wasn't joining in like he expected.

"I came here to talk, that's all," Joey explained to Tristan, moving closer to Kaiba. Kaiba pushed Tristan away from him, and got to his feet, suddenly very angry at Joey's admission. He made it known as he glared at Joey.

Joey glared back at Kaiba, not intimidated. "Now please explain to me why you did it. What did I do to deserve that… that ultimate intrusion upon me?"

"I really have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't rape you, so I'm extremely annoyed that you just stood there and accused me of doing it. If I did, don't you think I'd remember it?"

'_Doesn't he remember or is he just lying?_' Joey pondered.

"You did rape Joey and you do remember it. He himself just told us! So don't go feeding us that bull crap," Téa exclaimed.

'_Even though I love those guys, Kaiba and I need privacy to get to the bottom of this. But I just can't ask them to leave._'

'_Just leave it to me, Joey,_' Dorothy suddenly said.

"What… what is that surrounding you, Joey?" asked the Pharaoh, surprised.

"What?" Joey looked down, and sure enough, a grayish-purple mist was encircling him. The mist expanded, getting larger and taller until it encompassed Joey and Kaiba completely.

"JOEY!!" exclaimed his friends.

"Don't worry, guys. I'll be right back," Joey reassured them, before the weird mist drew an unbreakable barrier between him and his three closest friends.

* * *

"Where are we?" Kaiba looked about him, somewhat bewildered.

"_You're in a realm that I have created for the sole purpose of fixing what has been broken,_" Dorothy calmly answered.

"Who are you?" Kaiba asked, becoming even more bewildered at this new stranger, with an even stranger appearance.

"_If only I had a dollar for every time I heard that line…_" Dorothy sighed. "_It doesn't matter who I am because this is the first and last time you'll ever lay eyes on me._"

"Enough with the questions, Kaiba. I'm the one asking them here, and I want some answers. Why did you do it?"

"You know what, Wheeler? I'm tired of you asking me that. And just like that little friend of yours over there, if I had a dollar for every time I've heard that today, I would be even richer than I am right now. I don't remember much from last night, and certainly not what you're asking me. Now would you get me out of this place, because I'm pretty sure it's just some hallucination or some pretty cheap holograms you're trying to trick me with…"

'_Do you see that Joey?_' Dorothy whispered to Joey.

'_See what?_'

'_Look at Kaiba. Do you see that strange presence about him?_'

'_I'm looking, I'm looking._' Joey stared at Kaiba, wondering what Dorothy was referring to… and then he saw it. It was the strange face that he saw on Kaiba before he raped him.

'_Wait… that face. It's hovering about Kaiba, and it's as if Kaiba doesn't even realize it's there._'

'_Right. I believe that is what made Kaiba rape you. It possessed Kaiba and made him commit the heinous act, and that may explain Kaiba's memory lapse of last night._'

'_But… but what is it? Where did it come from? And why did it force Kaiba to do that to me?_'

'_I really wish I could answer that for you, Joey. All I know is that it is an entirely different entity from Kaiba. It may be a deranged personification of Kaiba's loathing of you before this incident occurred. It must have manifested itself after I had you attack him in class._'

'_So in a sense… Kaiba is innocent?_' Joey asked, unclear of what the new information meant.

'_Yes, he is… but it doesn't change anything. Because of what he did- I mean FORCED to do- your paths will never cross._' Dorothy sighed, not wanting to do what she knew she had to do. '_Forgive me, Joey, for what I have to do. But if I don't do this, that presence will remain with Kaiba and your destiny to be together will never happen. I'm sorry._'

'_Dorothy? What are you apologizing for?… Dorothy!!_'

"… and I won't be made a fool of any longer. Wheeler? Did you hear what I just said? Stop this charade immediately!" Kaiba said, his temper beginning to get the better of him.

"_Pipe down, Kaiba,_" Dorothy warned. "_Now I have to do something that was never supposed to happen, but due to that evil presence within you, Kaiba, it must be done._"

"What do you mean, evil pres-"

"_I said pipe down,_" Dorothy warned again. "_And I don't need to explain anything to you. Now, you two are meant to be together, but due to my mistake, there is no way that it will happen on this grimly determined path. In order for your destiny paths to have a chance of crossing like they were supposed to, I have to go to drastic measures._"

Joey, worried and confused, asked, "Wait Dorothy, what are you talking about-"

"You're not going to do anything!" Kaiba exclaimed, interrupting Joey. "This is all YOUR fault, Wheeler, so I'd advise you to leave me out of it."

Temporarily forgetting his question to Dorothy, Joey retorted. "My fault? What do you mean 'my fault'? If it wasn't for what you did, we wouldn't even be in this mess…"

'_That right there let's me know that I have to do this. This is my fault and I have to fix it, or they'll never have the future that they were supposed to have. This is a cruel twist of fates, and I must fix my horrible mistake before it's too late._'

She wearily watched as Kaiba and Joey clawed into each other with questions, exclamations, and accusations.

'_Joey, please forgive me, but after I do this, everyone wins._'

* * *

**A/N: Well I hope you like this chapter. I actually really did try to make Kaiba redeem some sort of respect in this story with Dorothy's explanation, so I hope you all understand that I was not bashing him throughout this whole story. I actually like his character. Of course he's arrogant and thinks too much of himself, but you gotta admit he's a pretty awesome character that you can work with. Anyways, I'm pretty sure you all saw my inclusion of the title to my story in the last few lines of this chapter. That is basically my way of saying that this is sadly my last chapter. The next shall be the Epilogue and it will clear up all the loose ends left. This story did very well, seeing as it's my first attempt on fanfiction. So I thank you all for following this story and I truly hope that you will consider following me and my next fanfics. With that said and done, what do you all think will happen in the Epilogue? What is Dorothy's mysterious action that must be completed? Will it be for better or for worse? You'll just have to keep reading. :)**


	8. Epilogue

**A Cruel Twist**

**Epilogue: Redemption**

"Mr. Kaiba, you do know that you're almost five hours late."

"Mrs. Masako, I have a mulit- million dollar company to run, and the only reason I even come to school is because I have to. So yes, Mrs. Masako, I do realize I'm almost five hours late," Kaiba replied, a smirk on his face.

Mrs. Masako simply stared at him, her eyes wide with shock.

'_Man, Kaiba's a jerk. I feel bad for Mrs. Masako,_' Joey thought to himself. '_Maybe I should do something…_'

"Yo, Mrs. Masako!"

"Yes, Joey?" Taking off her shocked expression, she turned her attention to Joey. "What is it?"

"I just wanted you to know that you look especially pretty today," Joey replied. '_Hopefully that will make up for what Kaiba said._'

Mrs. Masako blushed slightly, simply saying "Thank you" as a reply.

"WHOOOO!!" The class burst out, giggling and making smooching sounds at Joey. "Joey loves Mrs. Masako!!"

'_Oh, darn it!! I didn't mean it like that! Now I'm gonna be everybody's punch line today._' Embarrassed, Joey dropped his gaze to his desk.

"Alright, settle down, class. Seto, I know you may be a busy man, but you're still in school, so either learn how to work your responsibilities around school hours, or you'll be making a visit to the Dean's office. Understood?"

"Loud and clear," Kaiba responded, finally taking his seat.

* * *

"Joey and Miss Masako, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!"

"Cut it out already, Tristan!" Joey said, shaking his fist at him.

"I can't help the fact that you're always a source of entertainment for me," Tristan jokingly replied.

"That's it! It's go time, Tristan!" Joey grabbed Tristan around the neck, and with his free hand he playfully ground his fist into Tristan's head.

"Ouch! I give! I give! Now let go!" Tristan said through his laughter.

"Not until you say 'Uncle'."

"No way!"

"SAY IT!!"

"Stop it, you two!" Téa interjected, trying to hold back her own laughter.

"Yeah. If you guys keep that up, we'll never get to the game shop," Yugi jokingly added.

"Oh yeah!" Joey said, finally releasing Tristan.

"I owe you one, guys," Tristan said with a smile, rubbing his head lightly.

"Don't mention it," replied Téa, smiling back.

"Come on, guys! Let's go. I'm going to see if Yugi's gramps has any new cards I can use. I'm going to rebuild my deck, and when it's strong enough, your God cards better watch out, Yugi."

"Sure, Joey. Ready when you are," Yugi replied, smiling.

"In your dreams, man! You always get by on luck, and no matter how powerful your deck is, there's no chance you're going to beat the God cards, so long as you're a dimwit."

"Heeeeeeeey, watch it Tristan!"

The gang laughed, Joey eventually joining in. With wide grins on their faces, they all headed to the game shop, all unknowingly awaiting the next trial that would bring them closer to unlocking the Pharaoh's memories...

... Not too far away, someone had their eyes on Joey.

'_Well, because of what I did, you have no recollection of me or of what you experienced. However, if it means seeing that goofy grin on your face again, then it was worth it._'

Dorothy looked down at Joey, silently vowing to always protect him and to never interfere again.

'_It may be awhile before I can reintroduce myself to him. Doing it anytime soon may trigger memories that I've erased._' Sighing, she began to retreat deep within Joey's soul, the place that she stayed dormant for so long.

'_Once Joey begins to see his true feelings for Kaiba, that is when I'll reemerge, to help him work through the confusion he'll be feeling. Those two are destined for great things, but they won't take place until they realize what they are to each other._'

She took one last look at her master, sad that their first encounter was so short and so twisted.

'_Goodbye, my Joey. I will be back soon, and I vow that it will be under much better circumstances._'

And with that, Dorothy was gone.

_**~~The End~~**_

* * *

**A/N: Well, everyone. That's the end of it. I hope you liked the ending because I thought it was the best way to undo Dorothy's mistake. I want to thank you for following my story and holding out to the end. I really hope you enjoyed reading my story and I hope you'll be back for my next story. I promise that my next one will be my original idea with my original story line and original character (OC in other words). And if you really want to get more information about my next story, please visit my YT account (/atemsdestinee93) because I will have a video up soon describing it a lot more than in just a regular summary. Thank you all again and be on the look out! :)**


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